Disclaimer: I do not own Gravity Falls!
Edited and revised 7/11/15
~~0~~0~~0~~
Dipper had been right.
Today had been terrible so far.
Leaning on his hand, Dipper watched the clock tick away with bored and tired eyes.
Twenty minutes left. Which was really just two ten minutes left. Which was really just four sets of five minutes left.
Dipper released a small groan under his breath, picking up his pencil once more to work on the math problems assigned to him. Normally, he didn't mind math too much. Heck, sometimes he even enjoyed it (though he would never tell Mabel; she'd just call him a nerd). However, his head was pounding lightly at the lack of sleep, he'd almost fallen out of his desk seven times already, and all in all, Dipper just couldn't keep himself standing on his own two feet very well.
Dipper stared down at the problem. It wouldn't have been all that difficult on a normal day, but with his brain so sluggish and fatigued, Dipper found that he simply could not figure out what he was supposed to be doing.
He blinked slowly, mind wandering away from him once again to the near future.
Three days. He would see Bill again.
Dipper bit his lip nervously. After everything he'd learned the night prior, or better yet, didn't learn, Dipper was more anxious than ever to see the god again.
Should he question him? Or perhaps hold his tongue?
Dipper weakly ran his fingers through his hair, piercing his lip with his teeth a little and drawing beads of blood. Swiping his tongue over the wound, Dipper easily fell back into his thoughts and ponderings.
Easily angered...but friendly.
Chaotic...but almost polite in a way.
Dipper's thoughts were cut short by the bell, ordering brain dead students to go to their next class. Movements delayed, Dipper shoved his papers into his bag and whipped it around his shoulders. He tried to gather his previous wonderings once more, but they had already been lost. Scowling slightly, Dipper continued to his next, and one of his favorite classes, Magical Theory.
Wriggling out into the busy hallway, Dipper hugged the wall closely, trying to flow with the rest of the students.
"Do you ever take a shower, loser?" A feminine voice hissed into his ear.
Dipper whipped around. The rude girl, whoever she was, was already gone. Dipper scowled. His bathing tendencies were perfectly fine!
Now tired and annoyed, Dipper pushed his way through the throng of students with more intensity than before, getting a few more comments about his shoving as well as his appearance.
Finally making his way to the correct room, Dipper practically flung himself through the door, hissing as his side got caught on the teacher's desk in the front.
"Oh! Dipper, are you okay?" A chiming voice asked.
Dipper turned to his teacher, cranking his neck upwards to look at her slitted silver eyes.
"I'm fine, Madam Feylie," he told his elven teacher.
The tall woman smiled down at him. Like most elves, she had smooth and unblemished off-white skin. Her eyes were large and set deep into her skull, causing her cheekbones to look more prominent than on humans. Her bone structure was thin but not willowy, shapely without being sharp. Her cropped hair was a light, almost strawberry blonde. Curling at the tips, it matched her arching eyebrows perfectly. Her simple green dress swung around her ankles, reminding Dipper of a hippie from the 70's.
"Are you sure?" She asked, squinting and looking over his slumped posture and bruised eyes. "You look very...tired."
Dipper gave her a watery smile. Unlike most teachers who didn't care much about, well, anything besides keeping their job, Madam Feylie took her job teaching and watching over her students very seriously. Especially the watching part. Some said it was because she was an elf. Others said it was because she was kind-hearted. And even less people said it was because she had children of her own and could relate.
In all honesty, Dipper never gave much thought to his teachers. After all, he had better things to do with his time than petty gossip. However, even he had to admit the elven teacher was his favorite by a long shot.
Reassuring the woman that he was completely and perfectly fine- no really, he was, Dipper took his seat near the back as usual. It was a habit he had gotten into a few years back after a particularly bad English class that had always ended with spitballs in his hair.
Settling down into his seat, Dipper took out the class set textbook from under his desk, staring blankly at the cover. A number of different runes and (safe) magical creatures were printed, looking suspiciously cartoonish. Though he knew the textbook could be worse, it could also be much better.
Cracking the book open, Dipper quickly checked the index to see if this book contained any information about gods. Flipping to the correct page, Dipper wasn't surprised, but disappointed nonetheless. All that was on the page was a short paragraph that summarized the basics he already knew. Pouting slightly, he shut the text close, leaning his head on his hand to wait for class to start.
As the bell rang signaling for the beginning of class, Dipper felt his mind start to drift off once again.
On magic.
On the forest.
On Bill.
And even on things that had happened last time.
Dipper mentally shook his head to banish his thoughts, hoping that he wasn't blushing as bad as he felt he was.
Ugh, stupid god being stupidly confusing. Being stupidly warm and safe and-
Dipper flopped his head onto his desk, letting out a soft, annoyed groan. Why did his mind keep wandering in that direction?!
I'm just tired. Really tired, he reassured himself. I'm just being tired and weird.
Blinking hard, Dipper sat back up, glancing around to make sure Madam Feylie wasn't near him; knowing her she'd send him to the nurse. Seeing that he wasn't being worried over, Dipper relaxed back into his chair and flipped through the pages he was supposed to read, not actually absorbing any information from the text.
Bill Cipher was really getting in the way of his focus.
Dipper glanced at the clock. Thirty minutes left.
Which was really two fifteen minutes left.
Which was really three ten minutes left.
Which was really six five minutes left.
He could do this.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Dipper groaned as he eyed his bed. All he wanted to do was curl up on his uncomfortable mattress and go to sleep, snug under worn but warm blankets. Three days had passed and for whatever reason, those three days were filled with little sleep, his nights spent worrying and questioning what was to come.
Running a hand through his hair, Dipper quickly patted his bangs back down to cover his forehead. He reached under his mattress, pulled out his notebook and grabbed both his pen and pocket knife from his desk. All three objects were then tucked away in his vest like last time.
Unzipping his backpack, he dumped out all of his school supplies into the back of his closet. Getting down on his hands and knees next to his bed, Dipper yanked out the various things he had taken on his last trip into the forest. Quickly shoving everything in, the young boy gave himself a small but proud nod after he checked everything out. Zipping the bag back up, he whipped it around his shoulders and steadied his breaths. Squaring his shoulders, he stepped outside the room once again.
Unlike last time, Mabel was actually there to help him sneak out. On cue, he heard her loud yelling for everyone to come and see what she was freaking out about, giving him a clear pathway to the door.
Waiting until Soos's voice and Wendy's footsteps faded out to the right, Dipper dived down the stairs, out the door, and across the lawn right into the woods that laid just beyond.
Falling into a fast walk, Dipper briefly glanced behind his shoulder to make sure that no one had seen or followed him. Sighing in relief at the emptiness that laid behind him, the young boy didn't even notice the familiar presence.
"Ahh!" Dipper cried as he ran straight into a solid and warm body. Larger hands automatically reached out to hold his shoulders and steady him, the heat from the palms easily soaking through his vest and shirt. Pleasurable goosebumps rose on his shoulders.
"Whoa there, Pine Tree!" Bill laughed, golden eyes sparking with both madness and delight. "You need to start paying attention to where you're going!"
Dipper stared up at Bill's stretched grin, eyes honing in on the sharpened and glistening teeth. The brunet blinked slowly, feeling even more tired than before now that he was so close to the god. Eyelids fluttering, a good part of him wanted nothing more than to melt in the warm arms of the towering god, allow himself to be taken in by the heat, to drown within the own folds of his mind as sleep took him. Dipper leaned in a bit closer, a soft, sleepy smile tugging on the edges of his lips. He could almost imagine those heated hands moving downward around his waist and lifting him up, carrying him close and steady to a thin but sturdy chest.
His hands gripped the god by the coat, face nuzzling Bill's stomach slightly.
Yes, that- that sound...sounded like a...good...good...plan.
L-let himself be...be taken away...
Allow...allow himself to fall...fall into his o-own...dreams...
...dreams...
Dipper's eyes flashed open as memories from what he previously wrote rushed to the forefront of his mind. Flushing in both humiliation at what he was doing and slight fear of what almost happened, Dipper thrust himself away from the god, tripping over his own two feet in the frantic movement and falling right down on his butt. No longer tired, Dipper stared upwards at the god once more and scrambled away, wanting to put as much distance between himself and the being of dreams.
Seeing Dipper take a fantastic fall, Bill automatically reached out to catch the boy, only for those big brown doe-like eyes to dart up to his own golden one in a look that spoke of both fear...and understanding.
Bill leaned back as the boy got far enough away to not be under his influence anymore.
Bill couldn't stop the grin that yanked at the corner of his mouth, furthering his already wide smile. He had always enjoyed the pure terror of children. That pure fright that sparked in their eyes and hearts, that jumble of panicked silence that always rang in their minds as he weaved nightmare after nightmare.
Well, it was purely euphoric to him.
Pine Tree stared up at him with all the fear those past children had given him and Bill had to admit he missed it. Missed instilling terror in young minds. In old minds too. In all minds, really.
But mostly young minds.
After all, children had the most creativity.
But Pine Tree didn't just stare up at him with fear. Oh, no. His already big, expressive mocha eyes were even larger than before, highlighted by the sunlight that filtered through the leaves above. They were doe-like and shined with a pure innocence that Bill forgot even existed. But more than that, Pine Tree also had understanding in his gaze and in that second, Bill knew.
Pine Tree knew who he was now.
Bill smirked down at the kid, who was only now getting over that flash of fear. Fright fading back into wariness, the child slowly stood up, not taking a single eye off of Bill for a second. His movements were jerky but stiff, shoulders tense.
Unlike most who'd be a shivering mess right about then.
Pine Tree sure was an interesting kid, wasn't he?
"So!" Bill cried out, clapping his hands together to literally puncture the silence. The thought brought small giggles to his voice. "Seems like you've figured it out, huh?" He continued, noting the purple around Pine Tree's eyes.
Dipper glared at the figure, fists tightening at his sides. "Y-yeah." He stuttered bravely. "You're the god of dreams!"
Bill flashed the kid a dazzling smile, showing off every fang in his mouth. "Someone give the boy a prize!" He called out to no one, hands flying out in a grand gesture.
"So, now...now that you know I know, are you going to kill me? Put me in a coma? Cut out my brain or something?" Dipper asked, his voice shaking a little.
However, all Bill did was throw his head back and laugh.
Gods this kid is a riot! He thought to himself.
"Of course not! You really are a morbid kid, aren't ya? I wanted you to figure it out! And I gotta say, I'm a little impressed! It's taken much older people a lot longer to figure out the obvious!"
Dipper's shoulders dropped their tenseness a bit and though his eyes stayed wary, there was a look of pride there too. "So, what do you want then?"
"Already told ya, Pine Tree. Entertainment, worship, and world domination." Bill's smirk grew.
Dipper eyed the god for a few more seconds before the majority of his suspicion dropped. Rolling his eyes, the boy gave the god a wide girth as he side-stepped him to continue on into the forest.
Bill followed easily enough, careful to not quite touch the kid.
"So, kid. Care to tell me where you found out?" Bill asked, genuinely interested.
Dipper bit the inside of his cheek briefly before answering honestly. After all, Bill had been impressed with him. Impressed!
Not- not that he cared or anything.
"Library," he answered shortly.
Bill hummed lightly, his furrowed brow not noticed by the young brunet whose focus was now being dragged forward by the forest, enticing and exciting.
The library? But that's impossible, he thought. The god glanced back down at Pine Tree, his questioning pushed to the back of his mind at the sheer wonder plastered on the kid's face. Like a dying man finally finding lady death and accepting her offer to elope.
"So, Pine Tree, care to take up my offer?" Bill asked suddenly after a few more minutes of surprisingly comfortable walking.
Dipper's eyes darted up to Bill. "What offer?" He asked.
Bill rolled his one visible eye. "Would you like me to show you some actual interesting places? Free of charge, even!" He tacked on at the end.
Dipper scowled up at the god, his beautiful wonder drowned in a sea of veiled hostility and distrust. "No." He reused. "I don't trust you one bit. Besides, stranger danger."
Bill gave an amused snort. "Much too late for stranger danger, kid. Besides, we're going in the wrong direction. Nothing of much importance for miles in this direction."
Dipper turned away and muttered under his breath, rubbing his eyes as he did so. In all honesty, all he wanted to do was rest. His body sagged with exhaustion, eyelids drooping closed every few seconds. His mind was sluggish and slow, a testament to the long night he had. All he wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep.
Though he didn't realize it, Dipper had slowed down his walking. Instead of striding forward like the true adventurer he believed he was, the young brunet fell into shuffling, barely lifting his feet off the forest floor as he padded onward, wobbling a bit side-to-side. He rubbed his eyes again.
He tried to focus his thoughts, he really, really did. But it was just too hard right now.
His legs wobbled even more, treacherous and unavoidable. Falling to a stop, Dipper placed the palm of his hand to a tree, subconsciously loving the feel of bark under his digits. Though he had only traveled for about twenty minutes now, the young brunet was panting as if he had fought off a bunch of monsters. Leaning more heavily against the tree, Dipper struggled to pick himself back up.
It was hard to do considering he barely had enough energy to lift his eyes up to Bill's face.
Bill had slowed to a stop with the boy, still lingering a few feet away. He could feel the slipping of the boy's mind as it happened, a surprisingly slow and steady descent for one so tired and young.
"Are you sure your sure, Pine Tree?" Bill asked again, another shit-eating grin on his face.
Dipper didn't notice, however. Now leaning fully against the tree, the young boy started slipping down the bark, causing his vest and shirt to ride up some, baring pale and soft looking skin.
Bill stepped closer, leaning down at the waist to stare at the young child's face.
The god was barely an inch away.
Dipper was vaguely aware of the god now too close to him. He could hear soft chatter against the inside of his ear as thin and warm breath passed over his face, surprisingly moist and sticky. The breath smelled strange, but soothing, a natural musk that anyone would want to sink right into.
Dipper hummed lightly, a simple noise that didn't tell much on his thoughts or feelings.
However, as soon as the sound left his closed lips, the boy felt himself be scooped up again, words still being asked into his ear. Not exactly a whisper, but not as loud as one would normally talk. It was an octave between.
Dipper settled easily into the pair of arms, curled up perfectly, like he was meant to be there. Feeling so snug and plain safe, it didn't take long for Dipper to leave the land of the living.
Dipper was gone.
And it hadn't even been the magic.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Bill stared down at the boy in his arms. He could feel the child's slow breathing against his chest, light as a bird and just as delicate. Right now, it would be just too easy to kill him. Wouldn't take much at all. Only humans could be both durable and fragile at the same time.
Not that he would, of course. No. Why kill when you can slowly drive people to the brink of insanity? Let them hang on that edge between their reality and his nightmares, let them decide if the real world was the thin and crumbling ledge they were standing on, or the dark abyss that stretched below.
They'd make the right decision.
They always did, after all. And more often than not, it was a hell of a good show!
Bill carefully re-positioned his arms, tucking the boy deeper into him. Though the child hadn't quite hit the dreaming stage of his slumber, he could feel it coming up, slow and steady like a tide.
It really would be too easy right now to kill this little Pine Tree, or even start that slow descent into pure madness and insanity.
Especially right now. Bill could feel the movements in his thoughts now as the wisps of future-forgotten dreams started. Just sensations right now, nothing more than ghosts of feelings.
Pine Tree shifted slightly before turning slightly, trying to get closer to him and curl up.
A slight soft smile played on his lips, tiny enough to almost be missed.
But it wasn't missed.
Bill looked down at the child, thoughts about death and insanity gone. Once again, this little Pine Tree brought the strangest of emotions to him, phantom and confounding, to his heart.
He really was a strange child, wasn't he? Making a deal with a god, fighting and arguing with him despite everything Bill could do to him, falling asleep in the presence of a being who could control and manipulate dreams...
No, this little Pine may be decently smart, but he certainty wasn't wise.
And despite that, he was very, very interesting.
Bill blipped them away.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Dipper curled up tighter into safety, consciousness still foggy from his deep sleep, pleasant dreams still dancing just beyond his mind's eye, soft and subtle.
He had already forgotten what they'd been about.
But that hardly mattered right now. He was protected by the warmth that surrounded him, a steady and gently thing that caressed body, mind, and soul.
He wasn't so sure where he was right now, but it definitely felt good. Very good. Something was running through the locks of his hair, gently untangling the knots located. The covered pads rubbed against his scalp, petting him in a way.
He couldn't stop the smile from tugging at his lips, nor could he stop the small, happy moan from escaping the back of his throat.
An arm tightened briefly around his waist before loosening once again, fingers rubbing small circles on his side.
Dipper wanted to fall right back asleep. He was safe and comfortable and felt very good...
Then, his memories started to leak back in.
Of going home after school.
Of going back into the woods.
Of meeting Bill Cipher once more.
The young brunet's eyes shot open. Though his thoughts were still on the fuzzy side, he was now wide awake.
His head was buried into Bill's chest, tucked under his chin. He was pressed flush against the god, curled up in a tight ball against his stomach between long legs. Letting out a squeak of surprise, Dipper yanked himself away, face burning with embarrassment once again.
"B-Bill!" The young brunet cried out when the arm around his waist refused to budge. Still pressed up much too close for his liking, Dipper leaned his head back as far as he could, meeting that one amused golden eye with his two nervous and fearful brown ones.
"Good morning, Pine Tree!" Bill greeted, his breath ghosting across Dipper's face, sweet-smelling and wonderful.
Dipper banished those thoughts from his head.
"I-I..." Dipper stuttered, unsure of what to do as a tornado of emotions whirled around inside of him. He was humiliated, but still warm and comfortable, he felt safe, but his heart was still pumping in terror. He was a conundrum.
"C-could you please let go of me?" He asked, eyes still widened in shock.
Bill hummed lightly. "But I don't want to! You're warm and cute!"
Dipper's embarrassment rose a few notches, but so did his anger. "I am not cute!" He spat, giving the god the best glare he could muster.
Bill simply beamed down at the boy. With his brown brows furrowed, lips twisted upwards in a pout, arms now wrapped around himself...well it made him all the cuter, really.
Bill laughed. "Oh kid, that face your making is simply precious!"
Dipper made a small noise of anger from the back of his throat and started to squirm, trying his best to get away from the clingy being.
Bill laughed even louder at Dipper's struggles. After all, it's not like the boy could do anything. If he wanted to keep the child here, pressed up against him, he could. Quite easily, in fact.
However, Bill decided to be nice for once. Loosening his hold, he let the little tree back away from him once more, deeper into the clearing that he had blipped them into.
Bill shook his head. "And once again, I get no thanks, do I?" He teased.
Dipper sat up, face still red. "Why would I thank you?! You kidnapped me!"
"No I didn't. I asked you if you wanted me to show you an actual magical place and, well, you didn't say no. But you did make a sound so I assumed yes!"
Dipper scowled at the god. He started to open his mouth to snap something back in reply, only to be silenced as his eyes started to take in the surroundings.
Bill had blipped the both of them into what was probably the most beautiful place Dipper had ever seen.
They were in a small clearing, long and dark grass swaying in the soft wind. Purple and dark blue wild flowers were littered in clumps, petals glowing gently under the shadow the crisscross of branches high above. Caught up in the wonder of a new and, as Bill said, magical place, Dipper twisted around to get a better look around.
Behind him, a sloping ridge gave life to a bubbling waterfall, it's pitter-patter strong but fragile at the same time. The water lead into a pond, soft waves from the movement causing circular ripples to spread. The small waves lapped at the wet grass, more wildflowers dotting the edge. Inside the pond, bobbing in perfect rhythm to the ripples, were white lilies that seemed to emit a light not unlike the moon itself.
Light filtered in from above, soft and pleasant, dappling the grass. Just enough to see, but dark enough to allow the natural glow from the plants to be seen.
Dipper could do nothing but stare in utter awe.
"I-It's beautiful." Dipper murmured, standing up slowly.
Bill stood up and stepped to the side of the boy, leaving a handful of inches between the two.
"Yes it is." Bill said. "Wouldn't you much rather see this than stumble around the forest?"
Dipper's eyes flashed up to Bill. For once there was no grin on his face, though Dipper still couldn't read the god's expression.
Like before, it was as if the god was...lonely.
Dipper reached into his vest and thumbed his notebook, recalling what he remembered about gods in general, something that most people didn't.
Like most beings, gods too could feel emotion.
Dipper felt guilt stab through his heart, tearing a hole into one of those life-giving chambers.
"Why do you want to...help me so much?" He asked, trying to keep sympathy out of his voice.
He had to be sure.
Bill smirked and stared down at him. "Already told ya, kid. You make the best expressions! Plus, seeing you trying to understand magic and this forest in general will be a real lark!"
Dipper frowned slightly at his words. He'd heard that excuse before, it was really the only excuse the god had. Before, Dipper believed him but now...with what he knew...
Very friendly...
Loves chaos...
Easily angered...
Those notes, those warnings disappeared from Dipper's mind.
Bill was lonely. Though he may not be as in touch with emotions and matters of the heart like his sister, even he could see the signs.
"Okay, then." Dipper finally said, voice steadier than what he was feeling. "I'll take you up on your...offer, I guess."
Bill's smirk grew wider and more true, golden eye sparking in excitement. "Finally making a smart decision, aren't you, Pine Tree?" He asked rhetorically.
Dipper stuck his tongue out at the god, causing him to burst out laughing once more. Turning around, the young brunet walked to the edge of the pond, the pure scent relaxing and delicious, settling onto his taste buds nicely.
Finding a spot close enough to the water's edge that was still dry, Dipper collapsed into the long, dark grass. The stems brushed against his open skin softly without being ticklish.
Leaning backwards, Dipper took out and opened his notebook to a new page, scribbling down what happened and a description of what the clearing looked like. Meanwhile, Bill loped up to him and sat down next to him, one pointy knee brushing against his shorts. The blond looked over Pine Tree's fluffy hair at what the kid was writing, amused by what he saw. His notebook was childish to be sure, unprofessional in every possible way and so utterly him at the same time.
Completely adorable.
"Hey Bill, can I ask you a question?"
"No, but you can axe me a question!" The god quipped automatically.
"Oh my gods." Dipper groaned, slapping a hand over his face. "That-that was so stereotypical and bad!"
Bill laughed at the boy's response.
"But seriously, does this place have a name?"
Bill fell quiet and thoughtful. Of course it had a name, but it didn't translate over into English.
The god glanced down at the boy, once again getting a glimpse of those large and liquid brown orbs and a small and determined pout. The little tree was trying his best to grow up fast and be an adult, but with his soft features and red nose, Pine Tree just looked adorable and hilarious.
"Not in English. Nor can it be translated. Guess you'll have to figure a name out!"
Dipper scowled. "Oh, I'm terrible at naming things! If Mabel were here, I'm sure she would have an idea."
"Mabel?" Bill questioned.
Dipper bit the inside of his cheek briefly, but continued anyways. "Mabel is my twin sister." He explained shortly.
"Ha! No wonder you're kinda girly!" Bill laughed in response.
Dipper spluttered, face flushing from indigent anger this time. "I am not girly or cute!" He snapped.
Bill reached up and patted Dipper's head once more, loving the soft, fluffy curls the kid had.
Who knew children could be so adorable like this? Bill hadn't seen a child in...well, Bill lost track of the years once he got in the five hundreds to be honest, but he didn't remember all those brats being like this in any way.
No, this little Pine Tree was special. Maybe it was because he was trying to be an adult. Maybe it was because he could be so smart at times and so stupid the next. Maybe it was even his thorniness and natural suspicion. Whatever the case was, Bill was fascinated.
"Sure, sure kid. Whatever helps you sleep at night." Bill waved back, casually.
Dipper briefly sent another leer his way before cranking downwards to look at his watch.
"Gods, it's already 6:17!" The kid cried out. "I have to get home, dinner's about to start!"
Bill rolled his eyes and whined. "But Pine Tree~! You slept most of the time away!"
"I have to get back, Bill! I'll-I'll visit tomorrow, okay?"
Bill blinked in slight surprise before giving the kid a too-wide and too-sharp grin. "Very well, kid. Tomorrow. Now, what will you give me to get back home?"
Dipper groaned. "Can't we just make a normal deal or something for this instead of something different every time?"
"Of course not! Routine is boring and boring things are lame!"
"Fine! I'll...uh, I don't know. What do you want?"
Bill placed a finger on his chin and tilted his head to the side, eyes wide and mad, grin still present. "Gee, I don't reall- I know!" He interrupted himself. "Give me a compliment!"
Dipper cocked a disbelieving and slightly confused eyebrow at the god. "A compliment?"
Bill nodded eagerly. "Yup!"
Dipper sighed, shoulders dropping. "Fine. Bill Cipher you are the most interesting and weird being I have ever met, and most likely will ever meet."
Bill felt a shudder of mirth pass along him, enjoying the way Pine Tree had spat out the words begrudgingly. "Why, thank you, Pine Tree!" He laughed and without a second thought, scooped Dipper up once again and blipped them back to the treeline.
Unlike before, however, Dipper didn't teeter on the edge of sleep. However, with the god of dreams being so close, his mind still filled with static, thoughts sluggish and slow.
Dipper was able to briefly recognize he was being held on the god's hip once more, arms naturally wrapped around Bill's neck, head lolling slightly before he was dropped unceremoniously to the ground once more, just like before except this time, he actually caught himself.
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Pine Tree." Bill smirked.
Dipper glanced back at the god, looking him directly in his golden eye.
"I guess so. See you, Bill."
And Dipper ran off.
~~0~~0~~0~~
"You bastard, you really think you can kill me? You're nothing now! Absolutely noth-AHHHHHHH!"
He smirked as the god in front of him- Sir Prize- let out a wet howl of pain as azure flames exploded over his skin, consuming the fake form he took. The skin bubbled away as it melted, blood evaporating into the air because of the unnatural heat his fire now burned at. The multiple eyes of the god liquidated right out of their sockets as melted flesh joined together with melted flesh.
The god continued screaming as his current form shifted into his real form: A small fox made out of thousands of coins; gold, silver, and copper.
The flames didn't stop, however. Though they didn't ravage the body like before, but the storm of fire did hold down the weakened being. Unable to move, the god was left spitting curses at the one doing this to him.
"F-f-uck you, Cipher! You won't get away with this! You can't!"
Bill Cipher stood before the small fox, hands blazing with blue fire, one golden eye sparking in insane glee at his victim's downfall, his other, unnatural eye glowing with a frigid, matching blue.
"Oh, but you're wrong, Sir Prize." Bill sneered. "So very wrong. Do you really think you've been the first? And do you really think you'll be the last?"
Bill strode forward on long legs, previously nice clothing stained and dripping with golden blood. The god of dreams stood before the smaller god, too-wide grin with too-sharp of teeth once again in place, causing the fox to freeze in unnatural terror.
"Y-you're insane!" Sir Prize stuttered weakly. "C-completely a-and utterly..."
"So?" Bill mocked, bending down to place his hand in the center of the fox's forehead. "What's your point?"
Before the other god could answer, he was consumed by a strange, black smog. Thrown into confusion, the lesser god flailed around, no longer feeling anything around him. All that was there was void.
He was gone.
Kicking out, the fox saw something flash out of the corner of his eye. Something small. Something golden.
Sir Prize turned around, only to be met with shining, golden letters.
Yqmt ewmipqjivvbi s plv wwq qw, ezac gz?
The letters disappeared, only to be replaced by something so horrible, he couldn't even put it into words.
Sir Prize screamed.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Bill cackled as the god before him broke down into a fine, colorless dust. Bill's laughter rang off the trees, causing them to shudder. All around him, the forest cowered in fear at his display of maniac madness and power, blue flames burning even brighter than before as they leaped up into the sky, roaring at the heavens in defiance.
And in that moment of time, that one single moment, it seemed the stars themselves dulled in submission as the moon flickered, getting smaller in the sky.
Not even the firmament wanted to view the abhorrent Bill Cipher.
The god of dreams' laughter slowly fell into a trickle of a giggle. His body, once bathed in a sharp yellow light cutting large and deformed shadows across the woods, slowly died down and faded away. With it, his ethereal and dangerous flames. Eyes gleaming in the darkness, Bill summoned another small flame in the middle of his palm, brighter and stronger than ever before.
"Oh, I can hardly wait!"
~~0~~0~~0~~
FK MVCG LM YROO'H PROO ORHG: NRHH ULIGFMV
~~0~~0~~0~~
Lalala, updating in the middle of the night once again~
Well, we got some plot and we got some fluff. Plus perspective from Bill! How exciting!
Really glad you guys are loving this story. Once again, shout-out to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: crabbySeer, Bluestar29, JackieLanternXOXO, and GelibeanH20! Want a shout-out, leave a review! Like seriously, these chapters are pretty decently long. You have to have something to say about them! I know you lurkers are there!
Oh, and before I forget to mention, I did go look up that song, crabbySeer and I do agree that the music (not lyrics) do fit rather well. Thanks for sharing! (the song is Born On A Day The Sun Didn't Rise by Black Moth Super Rainbow if anyone wants to look it up.)
Okay, I actually have some minor (actually major) news. Though this story does have a plot (as you can tell) there are a lot of things up in the air and, believe it or not, a crossroads of sorts is coming up in the story that will determine how dark it ends up being and how it will all end up.
So! Huge question to ask you guys! How dark do you want this to be? It is a "Fairy Tale" story (though it doesn't feel like it to me, but I digress) do you want it to be dark, like the original Grimm fairy tales, or more lighthearted like the Disney spin-offs?
The darker path will still have a lot of fluff.
And the lighter path will still have it's dark moments.
Or, it can be between the two extremes, somewhat.
I guess, do a 1-10 scale with this with:
1=Disney like
5= between the two extremes
10= Grimm like
and everything between.
Another thing is the ending of this story. I have a few planned out (vaguely) Do you guys want it to be a happy ending or a sad/tragic one?
Vote/leave your opinion as a review or you can just PM me what you think if that's more comfortable for you for whatever reason.
By the by, good luck trying to solve that cipher. It's not impossible, but I don't think it can be done.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading!